Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2016
Fatigue and mental health in Australian rural and regional ambulance personnel.
Australian ambulance personnel experience stress, fatigue and exposure to traumatic events. These risks have been extensively researched in metropolitan paramedics. However, there has been limited research in rural and regional personnel. Rural and regional ambulance personnel make up a significant proportion of the Australian ambulance workforce and may be exposed to unique stressors. The aim of the current study was to investigate levels of fatigue, stress, and emotional trauma in rural and regional ambulance personnel. ⋯ This is one of the first studies to investigate fatigue, stress, and emotional trauma in a rural and regional ambulance population. Results indicate a complex and unique profile of risks and challenges for this critical and understudied community resource.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2016
Multicenter StudyIs a national time target for emergency department stay associated with changes in the quality of care for acute asthma? A multicentre pre-intervention post-intervention study.
There is debate whether targets for ED length of stay introduced to reduce ED overcrowding are helpful or harmful, as focus on a process target may divert attention from clinical care. Our objective was to investigate the effect of a national ED target in Aotearoa New Zealand on the recommended care for acute asthma as this is known to suffer in overcrowded departments. ⋯ Introduction of the target was not associated with a change in times to steroids in ED, although more patients received steroids in ED indicating closer adherence to recommended practice.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2016
Observational StudyThe Royal North Shore Hospital Emergency Department airway registry: Closing the audit loop.
We aim to investigate whether a bundle of changes made to the practice of endotracheal intubation in our ED was associated with an improvement in first pass success rate and a reduction in the incidence of complications. ⋯ We have shown that, through the introduction of a bundle of changes that spans the domains of staff training, equipment and practice standardisation, we have made significant improvements in the safety of patients undergoing endotracheal intubation in our ED.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2016
Observational StudyVariables associated with parent satisfaction with their child's pain management.
The provision of 'adequate analgesia' (which reduces the pain score by ≥2 and to <4 [0-10 scale]) is significantly associated with high levels of satisfaction with pain management among adult patients. We aimed to determine the variables (including 'adequate analgesia') associated with parent satisfaction with their child's pain management. ⋯ Short times to analgesia are associated with parent satisfaction. There were non-significant trends towards high levels of satisfaction following the provision of NIA and 'adequate analgesia'. These findings will inform a well-powered study to confirm this association.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2016
Reliability of the Abbreviated Westmead Post-traumatic Amnesia Scale in children: Impact of age on test results.
This study aimed to determine the reliability of the Abbreviated Westmead Post-traumatic Amnesia Scale (A-WPTAS) in children by examining the impact of age on A-WPTAS performance. ⋯ The A-WPTAS is reliable for use in children aged 7 years and older, while its use in children aged 6 years and under results in an unsatisfactory high false positive rate, limiting its clinical utility. The adult-level performance of children aged 7 years onwards provides strong support for using the tool in the early management of these children with mild traumatic brain injury in Australian EDs.